An acquaintance recently pointed me to the Fifth Surah from the Quran, verse 72. The version I found reads (in part) as follows: “They do blaspheme who say: ‘Allah is Christ the son of Mary. …’ Whoever joins other gods with Allah, Allah will forbid him the garden, and the Fire will be his abode.”

This person obviously had more exposure to Islam than I, in order to possess an awareness of where such a verse might even be found. Indeed, similar ones (concerning Christ) peppered that section of the book. Like versions of the Bible, the wording varies between translations; to be fair, the Quran is generally known to translate very badly. The translation my acquaintance initially offered, however, reads thus:

“Whoever believes Jesus Christ is the son of God shall burn in hell forever.”

A stronger case for the assertion that Muslims – all Muslims – believe that Christians are infidels I’ve never seen.

Granted, the secular socialists among us won’t give a damn that radical Muslims (with whom many of them sympathize) have a dogmatic beef with Christians. For the sake of argument here, one will have to accept that the aforementioned secular socialists are misguided at the very least.

I remember picking up a copy of the Quran in a bookstore out of curiosity around 25 years ago. I recall thinking that it sounded like it had been written by a madman – or a collection of madmen. The railing on subjects such as obedience, wife and child beating, head-lopping and profusion of exclamation points spoke to this columnist in a manner similar to that which Theodore (the Unabomber) Kaczynski’s rambling manifesto would years later.

I can understand how the Crusaders felt. Contrary to the propagandized image of these men as mindless, bloodthirsty zealots or well-dressed Vikings in a land grab, they were among the best-educated people of their day. No doubt they would have been very familiar with Quranic lore and its incompatibility with Christianity and Judaism.

One has but to look at the unrest fomented by radical Muslims in France and Britain to validate the argument that inherent weaknesses within secular humanism, as well as political correctness and propaganda, have conspired to breed far more tolerance of Islam in the West than is prudent or safe. Even President Bush has referred to it as “a great religion.”

Which begs the question: “What’s so great about it besides its longevity?”

“Islam” translated means “obedience.” The idea of forced obedience is antithetical to Judeo-Christian thought and has become more so through the ages, despite groups (and in some cases governments) perverting doctrine to include compulsory fealty. This theocratic paradigm is also diametrically opposed to constitutional law and American tradition. Though it may go against American ideals, Islam is going to have to be suppressed or eradicated in America, or Islam will assimilate us – and it won’t be pretty.

As much as it is a duty of Christians to offer testimony of their faith, it is the ultimate duty of Islamic adherents to impose that so-called faith. This gives rise to the question of whether Islam is a religion at all, but rather a political ideology that uses a religious model to gain totalitarian control. The policies of Islamist nations certainly lend credence to this idea. Reclassification of Islam in the U.S. as a political organization or cult rather than a religion would certainly remove bars to infringement upon the current rights of Muslims in America. This may have to be considered if activist, anti-American Muslims continue to hide behind the First Amendment.

There may indeed be “peaceful” Muslims in America who, like quite a few Americans, are lukewarm regarding their faith and just want to be left alone to make a pile of money and retire. I submit, however, that they remain silent and allow jihadists to advance Islam in a manner analogous to Christians at large allowing white supremacist “Christians” to advance the faith while failing to protest their white supremacist beliefs. Some maintain that American Muslims do so out of fear of their fanatical brethren, but I believe apathy or quiet complicity also play a part, depending on the individual.

Though there are millions of Americans of other faiths than Christianity, and agnostics and atheists who accept the Judeo-Christian paradigm within that America operates for the sake of identification, I have attempted to keep this writing as nonreligious as possible. However, I will close with a sectarian remark, and one that I am certain will be considered inflammatory and even blasphemous by the retrograde proto-humans who persecute others in paying homage to this dubious creed.

I have taken great pains not to make a global indictment of Islam that may have been based on lack of understanding. I also have no desire to see those Muslims who simply want to be left alone to live their lives persecuted in any way. However, it has become undeniably apparent to me that Islam is an indigestible mass in the belly of the West. As members of a “faith” under the auspices of our republic, Muslims cannot be assimilated. The unequivocal nature of this truth cannot be underestimated; to do so will mean the eventual destruction of America as we know it.

As regards Islam from a Christian perspective, its incompatibility with Christianity is even more apparent, and its precepts more repellant. A Christian friend of mine who was very well read once told me: “It’s very difficult for me not to come to the conclusion that Allah is Satan.”